Changing Lattitudes
Things Are Looking Up!
Missing you a lot!
International Teams
Brock and Nancy Luginbill THE LUGINBILLS | NEWSLETTER
Luginbill Family Update Summer 2007
When I re-read the heading
of our last update
“Things Are Cruising Right
Along!”, I had to laugh out
loud. What a difference a
few weeks can make!
A lot has happened in
the past month, so I’ll try to
condense things as much as
possible…as you might
remember, our house was
broken into. I’ll provide
more details on the following
page.
Our Buddhist friend,
Beatrice, was sent back to
Taiwan a few weeks ago.
Before she left, two friends
who speak better Spanish
than I do, had a chance to
sit down with her and share
the gospel. In the end, she
told them that she prays to
many gods and that we
pray to one. She wasn’t
interested in exploring the
differences. Beatrice
headed back to Taiwan
with plenty of information
about Christianity and the
prayers of many of her
classmates. It was very
difficult to see her go.
Benajamin, the Columbian
pastor of the church
we attend, recently announced
that he would be
going to the Dominican
Republic and Haiti as a
missionary. His family has
to be in the DR by August
13 and he didn’t seem worried
about the rapidly rising
cost of his airline tickets.
When I quizzed him one
afternoon he replied,
“Don’t worry Brock… God
will provide.”
I then invited myself to
follow him to the house of
a fellow student. After
talking, checking, and calling
for about 3 hours, the
other student and I booked
his flights to the DR for
about half of the expected
price. Later that evening,
he commented,
“Remember what I told
you earlier Brock? God
provided, just like I said!”
Last weekend Benjamin’s
family moved into
the apartment above our
home, where they’ll live
for the next two weeks.
During the course of moving
him in, I cut my head
open on a metal spike on
our fence. He took me to a
nearby clinic where a doctor
checked me out. She
said that we could go either
way on the stitches. I
opted to not get them, keep
the cut clean, and use an
antibacterial spray. The
spray cost $9 and the doctor
visit was free!
Other big news in our
lives…we purchased Benjamin’s
car. It’s an 86 Nissan
Stanza with 163K
miles. (It has a spoiler on
the back, which makes it
go extra-fast!) It has been
affectionately and appropriately
named El Gitano,
which means “the gypsy”.
(see photo) As long as we
don’t have to put much
money into it, we shouldn’t
have any trouble getting
our money back when we
leave. This will eliminate
the 30 minute waits in the
rain, trying to catch a taxi
back from the grocery
store. It will also allow us
to get out a little more,
which is difficult with three
children, using the bus
system.
Finally, our first trimester
comes to and end in just
two weeks! We’re continuing
to work with our
tutor and language learning
is progressing. I can now
talk about things that happened
in the past, as opposed
to only being able to
talk in present tense.
(Which really comes in
handy!)
We continue to be extremely
thankful for your
prayers, concern, and support.
Thanks so much for
all that you do for us.
Brock, Nancy, Trey, Mia,
and Ellie Luginbill
The bulk of our spare time this month
has revolved around getting things put
back in order after our home was broken
into. I’m happy to report that the job is
pretty much complete, thanks to your
prayers, encouragement, and generosity.
First let me say that your responses to
my e-mail about the robbery were a tremendous
blessing. When you’re this far
away and don’t have regular contact with
everyone, it easy to start feeling alone.
Your responses certainly reinforced that
we are not alone and that you’re thinking
about us and praying for us. We can’t
thank you enough!
The kids seem to
be doing well. They
all slept together for a
week or so, but have
since returned to their
own beds. They
don’t seem at-all concerned
about another
break-in and seem to
have a real peace about the situation. We
think that their adjustment is a real testament
to your prayers.
We haven’t heard anything from the
police and a friend spotted the getaway
car in our neighborhood yesterday. The
good new is that we’ve substantially
beefed up our security. We have an extra
support welded on one of our gates, making
it more difficult to pry off the deadbolt.
There are extra chains and padlocks
on our front gate. We’ve purchased a
safe and bolted it to the floor in our
closet. Whenever we leave the house, all
electronics and valuables are put in the
safe, including this laptop. Finally,
we’ve installed a security system with
motion sensors, door contacts, a siren,
and a sign. None of these measures are
fool-proof, but if there is a “next time”,
things will be more difficult for the
thieves.
In the wake of the break-in, God has
provided for our material needs, as well.
Two days after the robbery, missionaries
living with a Tico family next door
stopped by with an envelope containing
money. They said that they left the U.S.
with more money than they had planned,
but the person giving them this extra
money said that they’d know what it was
to be used for, when the time was right.
A former classmate from the U.S. offered
to send down this laptop and accessories.
He sent it to the home
of a fellow missionary who
was visiting the States and she
brought it back for us! Others
have provided financial assistance,
as well. We’re still
waiting to hear from the insurance
company, but a portion of
our loss might be reimbursed
by them. When it’s all said and done, our
computers, camera, security upgrades,
and incidental items taken will all be
taken care of. It has been a real blessing
to see God provide in so many material,
psychological, and spiritual ways.
Many of you mentioned feelings of
violation and fear. Fortunately, God has
shielded us from many (but not all!) of
those feelings. On the day of the breakin,
I walked past a Tico male on the sidewalk.
I thought to myself, “We came
down here to help people in Latin American
and you…” My thoughts were interrupted.
I felt God saying, “This can’t
happen. Satan would love nothing more
than to harden your heart against these
people and render you ineffective.” I’m
sure that’s true.
How To Pray
Ministry Investments:
411 West River Road
Elgin, IL 60123
(847) 429-0900
Contact Us:
(Letters and small packages.)
Instituto de Lengua Espanola
Apartado 100-2350
San Jose, Costa Rica
E-mail: brock.luginbill@iteams.org
YouthWorld
• Casilla 17-17-691
• Quito, Ecuador • South America
tel +593 2 2255-254 • info@youthworld.org.ec